Hurt Locker sweeps to Baftas glory

The Hurt Locker has swept to success at the Baftas with a best director and best film double.

Kathryn Bigelow won the best director gong for her role in the Iraq war drama.

Kathryn Bigelow with the Best Director award she won for The Hurt Locker

Colin Firth won best actor for his role in A Single Man, while Carey Mulligan took the best actress award following her part in An Education.

The Hurt Locker, which also took the awards for best cinematography, best editing, best sound and best original screenplay, triumphed again over blockbuster Avatar.

Bigelow, who received the gong from Clive Owen , beat off competition from ex-husband, Avatar director James Cameron , among others to win her award. “I was so, so lucky to have an incredible cast and crew,” she said. “This is really amazing and humbling.”

Firth was recognised at the Orange British Academy Film Awards, as the Baftas are formally known, for his portrayal of a gay academic battling grief in A Single Man.

“What Tom Ford doesn’t know is I have the email in my outbox telling him I could not possibly do this,” he said.

“I was about to send this when a man came to repair my fridge… I don’t know what’s best for me so I would like to thank the fridge guy.”

Shaking with emotion, Mulligan said after winning best actress: “I really didn’t expect this at all so I didn’t think of anything to say. Thank you so much Bafta. I was here a year ago and I didn’t imagine in a million years that this would happen. I wish I could do a speech like Colin Firth and talk about fridges but I can’t.”